Star Wars and Harry Potter star Guy Henry on his love of dogs - as Goodwoof beckons

But it won’t be the stage that brings him to West Sussex this weekend. He is heading to Goodwoof (Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21) in association with Pets As Therapy.

The charity uses temperament-assessed pets to visit establishments such as care homes, hospitals, hospices, schools and prisons to bring smiles to faces. People of all ages get the chance to chat to someone — and stroke a friendly dog or cat. Guy’s lurcher Walter has already been assessed and passed. At Goodwoof, George, another of his five lurchers, will also be assessed. Goodwoof is billed as the ultimate dog’s day out with their family at The Kennels, and Guy is delighted to be taking part.

“I have always had dogs. My first dog when I was five years old was a Cocker spaniel. I just love dogs. I love their humour and I love their sense of fun and I love their sometimes larger than life attitude, and being an insecure neurotic actor, the fact of their unconditional love goes a long way with me!

“All five of my dogs are rescue dogs. My partner and I started looking around for dogs and we were in London in those days. We immediately fell in love with the looks and the personality of the lurcher. The fact that there are so many lurchers in rescue centres should have been a warning bell. They can be quite difficult dogs but they are so worth it.”

Taking on a rescue dog is clearly such a good thing to do: “There are so many of them. During lockdown people took on dogs and now things have changed back again and people are realising that they can't necessarily look after them – and there are now so many dogs needing a home.”

Guy became involved with Pets As Therapy when he attended Dogstival in Romsey, not far from the New Forest where he lives: “We were just strolling along and the liaison chap said can we grab a photo with you and we got talking and I was invited to join. We did an assessment with (lurcher) Walter and it was a proper assessment. They wouldn't have just passed him just because I'm a silly old fart off the telly. He really had to go through his paces. Their dogs have to have the ability not to overreact when people do something unexpected. They have to be pretty calm.”

At Goodwoof he will find out whether George too fits the bill: “We are very proud of Walter. (Because of his past experiences) he was so frightened that all he would do was stand upstairs and press himself against the wall and now after the three and a half years that we have had him it is lovely to see him capable of being a lovely gentle Pets As Therapy dog. When he gets up in the morning he is just so jolly unlike some people around! But he's just so happy that no one is hitting him…"

Goodwoof promises world-class competitions from top canine athletes; wellness workshops; talks from key behavioural and veterinary experts; free-of-charge activities that you can take part in with your dog; Field & Trail demonstrations plus treats and plenty of play. More details on www.goodwood.com/goodwoof

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